Directions for question : A number of sentences are given below which, when…
2024
Directions for question : A number of sentences are given below which, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labeled with a letter. Choose the most logical order of sentences from among the four given choices to construct a coherent paragraph.
1. Good literary magazines have always been good because of their editors.
A. Furthermore, to edit by committee, as it were, would prevent any magazine from finding its own identity.
B. The more quirky and idiosyncratic they have been, the better the magazine is, at least as a general rule.
C. But the number of editors one can have for a magazine should also be determined by the number of contributions to it.
D. To have four editors for an issue that contains only seven contributions, it is a bit silly to start with.
6. However, in spite of this anomaly, the magazine does acquire merit in its attempt to give a comprehensive view of the Indian literary scene as it is today.
- A.
ABCD
- B.
BCDA
- C.
ABDC
- D.
CBAD
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In a sentence-rearrangement (para-jumble) question, the correct order is the one in which every pronoun, connective, and example has a valid antecedent already established earlier in the sequence. A pronoun such as ‘they’/‘this’ must point back to a noun already introduced, and a connective such as ‘but’, ‘furthermore’, or ‘however’ must join two ideas that are already logically continuous. Test each candidate order by checking whether every such link actually resolves in sequence, not just whether each sentence reads smoothly in isolation.
Application: Tracing the links sentence by sentence:
Sentence 1 introduces editors as the reason good literary magazines are good.
Sentence B follows next: its pronoun ‘they’ has no antecedent other than ‘their editors’ in sentence 1.
Sentence C follows B: ‘But’ qualifies B’s point about individual editors’ quirks with a separate rule — the number of editors a magazine should have depends on how many contributions it receives.
Sentence D follows C: it supplies the concrete illustration of that rule — four editors for only seven contributions.
Sentence A follows D: ‘Furthermore’ extends the same argument with a related point — editing by committee stops a magazine from finding its own identity.
Sentence 6 closes the paragraph: 'this anomaly' picks up the over-staffing problem D illustrates (four editors for seven contributions), which sentence A has just extended with the committee-editing point — resolving into the concluding observation that the magazine still achieves a comprehensive view of the literary scene despite it.
Cross-check — why the other orders fail:
The order that opens with A right after sentence 1 fails, because A begins with ‘Furthermore’, which needs a prior point about limiting the number of editors — none exists directly after sentence 1.
The order that also opens with A fails for the same reason at the start; it additionally places sentence C between D and sentence 6, so the concrete anomaly D describes is no longer immediately followed by ‘this anomaly’ in the closing sentence, weakening that link rather than resolving it.
The order that opens with C right after sentence 1 fails, because C begins with ‘But’, a contrast that needs the individual-editors idea from B already stated — jumping straight from sentence 1 to C skips that antecedent entirely.
Result: Only the sequence 1–B–C–D–A–6 resolves every pronoun and connective in order, so the correct arrangement is ‘BCDA’.